Blasphemy Wizard by Deceit World-Chapter 7: Fire Stealing Village

Yang Qizhou glanced out the window; the night was deep, and the street was eerily quiet.

Conducting a population census at midnight.

Sounds like a joke to fool ghosts.

Panic wouldn't help; better check the situation first. Yang Qizhou took a deep breath, approached the door, and peered through the peephole.

What appeared before him was a man in a blue checkered outfit, a faint scar standing out sharply on his left cheek. He wore a white hat, carried a backpack, and held some documents in his hand. He really looked like a community worker conducting a population census.

Bang, bang, bang.

"Sir, please open the door and cooperate with our work."

The knocking grew more urgent. The silence inside only fueled the impatience of the man outside.

"I've only just stepped into the [Deceit World]. Although I got two items, [Dream Realm Mother Goddess Flower Seed] and [Kan Rui's Wizard Ring], there's definitely a considerable gap between me and veteran players. I absolutely can't make contact with the person outside—that would forfeit my initiative."

Just then, the hands of the clock moved, striking midnight exactly.

The usage count of the [Dark Crow of Profane Fortune]... refreshed.

Yang Qizhou smiled.

"Brother outside the door, today's not meant to be for us. Let's leave it at that. If there's a chance in the future, I'll buy you a meal."

"Dark Crow of Profane Fortune,"

"I want to choose again whether to search for the [Deceit World]."

The cawing of a crow echoed in his mind. The scene before his eyes distorted, became unreal, fragmented, as if the world itself was melting.

When Yang Qizhou opened his eyes again, he was sitting before his computer. The search engine was open, but nothing had been typed yet. The time was precisely 11:27 PM.

He... had returned to half an hour prior.

"Holy shit, that was exhilarating. If not for the destiny restart from the [Dark Crow of Profane Fortune], I might've been screwed this time."

Yang Qizhou felt a pang of lingering fear. That person knocking might've had good intentions, but nothing stopped him from assuming the worst about them. After all, under the Dark Forest Theory, suspicion is eternal, and the unknown is both the enemy and an everlasting threat.

When the usage count of the [Desecrating Dark Crow] refreshed at midnight, Yang Qizhou had thought about making contact. But he was worried it might overwrite the "search for the Deceit World online" node. After all, the [Desecrating Dark Crow] didn't let you return to just any point; it only brought you back to your most recent decision node.

If that were the case, any reversal would simply return him to the moment before opening the door—still inevitably exposing himself to the sights of unknown forces.

The risk was averted.

Yang Qizhou calmed himself and began to analyze things.

"Although I can't be certain, that man was most likely from the relevant authorities—only they would have the means to find someone researching the [Deceit World] online within half an hour."

"Of course, that's not an absolute certainty either."

"The number of [Deceit World] players is unknown. Among them, some might have acquired abilities related to 'searching' or 'divination.'"

"And then there's the Hermitic Explorer. He and that unknown group knocking at my door shouldn't be on the same side, or he wouldn't have included that warning in the fifth piece of advice. Yet he left traces of the [Deceit World] online and even made posts visible only to [Deceit World] players. It's highly likely he hasn't been found, and this may relate to the abilities he's acquired from the [Deceit World]."

"Based on this premise for deduction,"

"Perhaps this world isn't nearly as peaceful as it appears on the surface. Under the [Deceit World]'s influence, this undercurrent has already been churning for a long, long time."

With this realization, an added sense of urgency surfaced within Yang Qizhou.

He remembered the group left by the Hermitic Explorer but had no intention of joining. He didn't want to risk introducing further complications.

Midnight had just passed. While the resurrection count had refreshed, the [Dark Crow of Profane Fortune]'s usage count had not. Earlier, he'd spent a usage to return to the point before searching for "Deceit World" online. Now, there were four uses left.

Yang Qizhou felt a twinge of regret. If he'd waited until the [Dark Crow of Profane Fortune]'s count refreshed at midnight, then looped back before midnight, used the refreshed count to loop again, and repeated this process endlessly... wouldn't he have created a time loop?

The sky was dark. Lying on the sofa, Yang Qizhou couldn't sleep; his mind was consumed with thoughts of the [Deceit World].

Let's keep playing the game, then.

"Your soul smoothly returns to the River of Death. You choose to harness the power of destiny to rewrite your fatal end."

"You've returned to the range of the [Fire Stealing Ancient God]'s blessing."

"Sliced in two by a Night Watcher, your innards spilling out miserably, you immediately realize the [Kan Rui's Wizard Ring] carries a passive Taunt Aura and hurriedly take it off."

"A Night Watcher, drawn by Alice's anomaly, crosses paths with you."

"The Night Watcher expresses great surprise at your presence; after all, it's been ages since a Traveler ventured into the Fire Stealing Village. The wilderness is so terrifying that scarcely anyone alive can cross it."

"You introduce yourself and share what you know about 'Alice.'"

"This piques the Night Watcher's interest. He takes you to the village and plans to report this to the Night Watch Team's captain, Lena."

"During your conversation, you learn that the Night Watcher's name is Yixiu. His words are laced with respect and admiration for Captain Lena, which makes you somewhat eager to meet her."

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Finally, the story could progress properly. Yang Qizhou felt a surge of gratitude. Even though he had accepted the cosmic horror setting, accustomed to "die, die, die, die, die," it didn't dampen his excitement for triggering the storyline.

Yang Qizhou recalled the 'remains of the Night Watcher' and wondered if bringing it out might trigger some other side quest.

"Upon returning to Fire Stealing Village, Yixiu arranged a temporary lodging for you, bid a quick farewell, and left."

"You sat quietly for a few minutes,"

"But the explorer's nature made idling unbearable—you decided to go out for a walk."

"The villagers of Fire Stealing Village watched you curiously. You, a stranger, were a rare sight. You greeted them with a smile."

"Thinking back to your first fatal encounter, you asked a little girl nearby if they ever looked directly at the sun."

"The little girl tilted her head and replied that the sun must never be looked at directly, or something terrifying would happen—everyone in the village knew this."

"You asked why looking at the sun was forbidden."

"The little girl couldn't answer and seemed troubled by the question."

"Your attention was drawn to a large house that was noticeably different from the ordinary villagers' dwellings. The house appeared to be empty. Compelled by your explorer's instincts, you snuck inside and wandered about."

"You discovered a peculiar room faintly glowing with purple light."

"Once again, destiny's crossroads lay before you. Oh, greedy, deceitful, and audacious explorer,"

"Will you push the door open and step inside to uncover its mystery?"

"Or will you choose to look elsewhere for now?"

"Please make your choice."